Red, Red Wine and Misty Blue
by HollBeth
Summary: An old love, thought unrequited, turns up unexpectedly at a Valentine's Day engagement party. Bella lays her heart on the line when forced to sing a song, a song she sings only for Edward. Was his song only for her? Is it possible she isn't the only one who has been left wanting all this time? AH, ExB. Rated M for language and mild adult content


**This was my fluffy entry in Breath-of-twilight's Countdown to V-Day prompt challenge. My prompt was "red."**

**I disclaim: Nothing "Twilight" belongs to me - all rights belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

* * *

"Come _on_. Play with me."

"No."

"_Plaaaaay_ with _meeeeee_!"

"Are you four?"

"Yes. Play with me!"

"Ugh, _fine_, but only if you can guess mine." Eye roll. "_And_ the color."

"Seriously, Izbee? Too easy."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes. So. You're wearing a red dress, which would make you want to wear red underneath so you can be all matchy-matchy-OCD. But – it's silk, and it's thin, and you are forever terrified of a repeat of the red-silk-shirt-under-blacklight incident at the Underground, so you'd want something that won't be noticeable in color at all. That eliminates black, too, and any other dark colors."

_Damn, he's good. But he still hasn't won yet._

"Nude."

"Eric, I _am_ wearing underwear, geez!" I said.

"_No_, nude is the _color_ of your underwear. Bra and panties, to be exact. Further, because your dress is thin _and_ silk, you're worried about outlines, so you are probably wearing stretchy lace instead of pieces with thicker edges and seams. Yes?"

How the heck does he do that? "Ugh. Yes. So you are well-versed in my underwear neuroses. You still haven't said what _style_ of underwear I'm wearing, though, so I still don't have to play with you."

"Boy shorts. Full coverage, not cheekies." Eric sat back, smug, smiling and triumphant at my look of shock. "Oh, Izbee, you're surprised? How long have I known you, girl? We've had more conversations about underwear than the designers at Victoria's Secret! I know you hate thongs, I know you hate anything where your cheeks are out and can feel the fabric of your clothes rubbing them! I seriously don't know how you're surprised. Now. Play with me. You're up first – the girl who thinks a bandana tied around her tatas is a top. Go."

I couldn't resist, and I laughed. He was right on all counts, and I adored that he knew me so well. I was always going to play his stupid game, I just wanted him to beg – he's so cute when he's whiny. I looked over to the girl he meant, and I had to laugh. A bandana – literally, a red _bandana_ – was folded in a triangle and then tied in back, leaving the triangle to cover her boobs and part of her belly. _Classy_. And to make it better – or worse – she was wearing what looked like a red tube top as a skirt.

"Oh, Eric, you gave me the easiest one. Or, the sleaziest one, I should say!" I looked in his expectant face and smirked. "Commando all the way – no bra, no panties. There's no way she could hide anything in those scraps she's calling an outfit."

"I concur," he said. "Okay…let's see…dude talking to her – boxers. No, no, wait... briefs."

"Why?" I asked, thinking he looked like a boxers man.

"He's baby-faced and preppy and I bet mama still washes his clothes when he visits. Briefs. I bet they're white, too," Eric said with a definitive nod.

"Okay, um…red corset dress at 10 o'clock – thong. The dress is tight enough to show lines, but she's too worried about getting anything squicky on her dress to go commando," I said.

"I can see that – perfect manicure, hair not out of place, fidgety – self-conscious. Yeah, you nailed that one," Eric said. We both looked around for the next guess before he gasped and grabbed my arm. "Holy-fuck-me-sideways…mmm, mmm, mmm. The guy that just walked in – copper-top, jaw I want to bite, lips I want on me…Izbee, I'mma faint, girl. I guess boxers, though. He's hot but he still looks sweet, too. Kind of old-fashioned."

My breath caught as I finally saw the man making Eric swoon.

Edward.

"Boxer briefs," I whispered.

"What?" Eric asked.

I cleared my throat and took a deep breath to push down the gajillion butterflies that suddenly shook my insides. "Um, boxer briefs, Eric. He wears boxer briefs."

"No, no way – I got this one. Boxers all the way. Le sigh...I want to have this boy. He's beautiful, Izbee. And probably _so_ not gay, dammit."

"No, Eric, he's boxer briefs, I promise," I said, unable to look away from the one man I'd loved the most in my life.

"And you know this because...?" He asked. Eric and I had been friends for a few years, but not long enough for him to know me when I was with Edward.

"I know because…that's…_Edward_," I said, sighing his name. All these years later, and still I couldn't look at him without so much wanting.

"That's _your_ Edward? Holy shit, Izbee – why did you let him go?"

"I didn't! Well, I mean, we let each other go. I guess the timing was off or something. But, yeah, that's him," I said, suddenly feeling like I both wanted to disappear and be seen by him. I was unreasonably giddy to realize he didn't walk in with a date.

"Hmmm," Eric hummed, grabbing my hand.

"What?"

"Maybe the timing is just perfect. _Now_," he stressed, squeezing my hand between his two.

"I can't even begin to hope, Eric. Seriously. Please don't put beautiful daydreams in my head, okay? I probably loved him more than he loved me, anyway. Just…distract me, please," I begged, pleading with my eyes.

I needn't have worried about a distraction, because barreling toward us with a wide smile and squeals was none other than Alice.

"Bella! Eric! Ohmygosh isn't this fabulous? It came out so much better than I pictured and holy crap you look great, Bella! Eric, you look hot! That reminds me - there's a guy I work with who's coming tonight and I told him all about you! His name is Alec and he's so _pretty_ and I think you two will hit it off! Bella, I love the dress, sweetie! You look so hot, girl! I need to find someone to fix you up with and – " Alice rambled on, gesturing wildly, gushing her enthusiasm and mania so fast I couldn't catch my breath. I caught her hands to interrupt her.

"Alice? Al? Take a breath, sweets," I hugged her, eliciting a squeal and a squeeze from her. "I'm so happy for you, hon. You outdid yourself here, you know that? You need some pink up in here, though. It's Valentine's Day, after all."

"You hate pink," she deadpanned.

"Yeah, I'm not a girly-pink kind of girl, but still, it looks like Hell in here!" I joked, gesturing all around.

"It does not look like Hell!" she argued, hands on hips.

"Al, it's red and black! It's Valentine's Day, not 'A Night in Dracula's Castle!'" I said, laughing.

"Red and black are very _elegant_, Bella. Black is powerful and sexy and red is fire and passion – perfect for an engagement party! Besides, I love seeing all the guys in black and all the girls in red – this may be my best theme party yet!" She squealed again, clapping her hands and folding them under her chin. "I'm a master. That's all there is to it."

"I'm just messing with you – I love it, really. And I really love that I'm wearing the same color as everyone else so I don't stand out like a sore thumb," I added, not realizing how strongly I felt that way until I said it.

"Oh, pssht. But that won't matter later when you see what fun I have pla-annned," she finished in a sing-song voice.

"Shit. What did you do?" I asked, creeping dread now overtaking the butterflies.

"Oh, _I_ didn't do anything, but you will. You and all the guests. You're the entertainment!" she said, squealing again. "Every person here has to sing a karaoke song for me and Jay! And get this, every song has to have 'red' or 'black' in the title! Cool, huh? I'm so brilliant I amaze even myself."

Beside me, Eric fist-pumped the air and whooped, Karaoke was his "I-wish-I-could-make-a-living-doing-this" hobby. I was mortified. I possessed neither the skill nor the desire to sing, and perhaps more, I detested any kind of spotlight or attention.

"You. Hate. Me," I gritted out, trying my best to look mad and scary. Eric scoffed.

"Drama queen!" he yelled, poking me in the side.

"Bella, I don't hate you! This is fun! Fun! Besides, it's my party and you have to do what I say!" Alice said with raised brows.

"I'm already wearing the bridesmaid dress you wanted and throwing you the shower you wanted and giving the speech you wanted! Give me a break here? Please?" I begged, near panicking.

Alice tapped her chin with her finger while she regarded my freak-out. "Tell you what. Our secret." She side-eyed Eric before continuing. "You have to sing, but you can pick any song you want, even if it doesn't fit with 'red' or 'black.' That'll give you more options, okay?"

She was trying to make me feel like I had a choice, but she and I both knew she wasn't going to budge on this. It was her party, her rules. I supposed I could subject myself to acute mortification if it would make her happy, seeing as she was one of my closest friends. If only Edward weren't here to witness the train wreck, considering I hadn't seen him in nearly six years. The fact that I was pretty sure the man I had loved most of all was also the man I was _still_ hopelessly in love with was just the bright, red cherry on top of this hot-fuck-sundae of a development.

"_Kare-fucking-oke_. Why does anybody like that stupid-ass invention," I muttered. "If I have to, I have to. And thanks for letting me pick something different – what's the shortest song in the world? 'Happy Birthday?' Maybe I'll sing that." I crossed my arms to punctuate my unhappiness.

"Oh, Bella, relax! Everybody here is doing it, so you're not alone, and it's fun!" she cajoled, smiling and shaking my shoulders. Her face morphed into one of mock-seriousness before she pointed a long, red fingernail in my face. "This is fun, dammit."

"Yes ma'am," I said in defeat, saluting and smiling.

"I'll see to it she has fun," Eric added. "I'll help her pick out a song – I wonder if Edward would be up for a duet with you…?" he asked, smirking at me and narrowing his eyes deviously.

"Edward? Oh, Edward made it! Yay! Don't hate me, Bella, he's Jay's friend from way back and we miss him and yay! He's here!" Alice shouted, and she was off, barreling through the crowd in search of Edward, and likely, Jasper.

As Eric took off to look for the karaoke list, I couldn't help but feel like this was going to be the most embarrassing night of my life.

Edward, karaoke, and unrequited love. _Awesome_.

**..:RRW & MB:..**

With the application of a few glasses of liquid courage, I was far more comfortable and less freaked-out. I still hadn't decided on the song I _would_ sing, but I knew what I _wanted_ to sing...and to whom it would be directed.

Edward and I had yet to speak to one another. I wasn't avoiding him, nor he me, but it was as though we were in orbit. We were both moving around some invisible fixed point, our paths never crossing. I didn't think it was conscious on either of our parts, it just was.

I kept myself busy guessing underwear with Eric and laughing or cringing at the many karaoke performances. I was grateful to see several other participants looking just as uncomfortable with their turn as I was with mine, you know, "misery loves company" and all that. Even so, it was funny. It was..._fun_. Dammit.

I pulled my weight with Alice to get myself as far down the list as possible. My idea was to be a little drunk myself so I could get through it, and for the rest of the guests to be trashed enough to not notice my turn at all. I thought it was a brilliant plan. The major drawback is that I hadn't seen Edward tossing back very many drinks, which meant he was likely sober enough to remember every, last self-esteem-shattering detail of my performance.

I continued to distract myself from Edward the best I could manage, given my "date" had, in fact, hit it off quite well with Alec. Thankfully, he wasn't an asshole of a friend, so he didn't abandon me. They both included me in the conversation as much as possible, but it was still difficult not to seek Edward with my eyes every so often. I watched Alec with Eric, and I felt wistful. I was happy to see something blossoming for Eric in front of my eyes, but I was also a little sad for my own lack of connection. The person I felt the most connected to remained several yards away the whole evening. The best moments I had were when we would oh-so-briefly catch each other looking. Small smiles and slight nods are all we managed, but at least I didn't feel completely brushed-off.

My little party of three had a blast enjoying the "talent" at the party. Classy bandana girl – whose name I now know to be Jessica – sang "Red High Heels." Preppy tighty-whities – Mike – tried and failed to pull off a badass rendition of "Back in Black." Jumping party protocol, as only the guests were _required_ to sing, Jasper serenaded his bride-to-be with "Lady in Red." I noticed it earned him a "seriously, get a room" kiss from Alice when he rejoined her. Eric decided to go retro and sang "99 Red Balloons," garnering extra kudos and respect from the crowd for throwing in the German words where he remembered them. Jay's friend Emmett got everyone giggling with a porn-worthy version of "Little Red Corvette," while some seriously hard-core Grace Potter-wannabe got up and sang the shit out of "Black Betty" right after him. There were others – some Pearl Jam, Santana, U2, a beautiful version of "Blackbird" and some other less memorable attempts. I had almost forgotten Edward would have to do this, too. Once I realized he would be singing, I kissed my ovaries and heart goodbye.

Said heart jumped into my throat when his name was called. Subconsciously, I grabbed Eric's hand and squeezed. Sweet friend that he was, he squeezed back and kissed my cheek.

Instead of approaching the mic stand like everyone else, Edward sat down at the keyboard on stage. _Holy shit, he's going to play the music himself? I'm so dead. _Memories of sweet serenades while sharing his piano bench pushed themselves to the front of my mind. As torturous as it was to no longer have him, wild horses couldn't have dragged me away.

"So, red or black...not a lot of choices," Edward began, fingering the keys and smiling. "There is one song, though, that's kind of perfect right now. For me, I mean. Well, it has been perfect for quite a few years, unfortunately. I hope you enjoy. And Jay and Al – I love you guys. Don't hate me for my sad song, okay?"

I recognized the song immediately, but realized he was singing the original, not the remake. I just sat back and soaked in his rough, soulful voice while I listened to words I wouldn't dare hope could ever be meant for me.

_Red, red wine_  
_Go to my head_  
_Make me forget that I_  
_Still need her so_

_Red, red wine_  
_It's up to you_  
_All I can do, I've done_  
_But memories won't go_  
_No, memories won't go_

_I'd have sworn_  
_That with time_  
_Thoughts of you_  
_Would leave my head_  
_I was wrong_  
_And I find_  
_Just one thing_  
_Makes me forget_

_Red, red wine_  
_Stay close to me_  
_Don't let me be alone_  
_It's tearing apart_  
_My blue, blue heart_

No, I wouldn't have dared to hope. Not until he looked me dead in the eyes when he sang, "_I'd have sworn, that with time, thoughts of you would leave my head._" For the remainder of the song, he looked at either me or his hands on the keys, and the butterflies and dread disappeared, leaving nothing but resolve. Drunk or not, mixed signals or no, I didn't care – I was going to sing to him just as it seemed he was singing to me. If nothing happened, so be it. But I had to try – I just had to see.

My eyes followed Edward off the stage. He headed to the bar and Emmett, but not without locking eyes with me. His smile was sweet, small and a little sad. I smiled back as I realized perhaps I wasn't the only one wanting.

**..:RRW & MB:..**

"Fuck, Eric, I can't do this!" I whisper-yelled. It was my turn, and that resolve I had gave way to nervousness once again. Eric practically had to shove me up to the stage.

"Izbee, Iz, look at me," he said, grabbing my hands and pulling them to his chin. "You can do this. You _want_ to do this, and, honestly, I think you _need_ to do this. That boy was singing to you. You are too afraid to hope it's really true, but he was. Go sing to him. And remember most of the people in the joint are shit-faced by now – don't worry about it. Just sing to him, and pretend all these other fuckers are passed out, okay?"

I looked around us, noticing that, in fact, a few people did seem passed-out. Others were talking and not paying attention. I couldn't even think about it if I was going to do this, and I knew Alice would make me. Best to get it over with without her intervention – I certainly didn't need any extra attention foist upon me. I took a deep breath, straightened my spine, squared my shoulders and squeezed Eric's hands.

"Thank you. Yes. I can do this. If he's not interested, I won't have to see him again after the wedding, and if he is, well...no. I won't think of that right now. Thank you. I'll sing. I'm singing. Holy shit – I can't sing! Eric!" My panic roared to life like a raging inferno once again. "No. Okay. No. Shit. I can. I can do this. I'll go. I'm going. I'm going to do this. I'll go. I'll go."

"Iz?"

"Yes?"

"Get your ass up there and knock him dead," Eric said, turning me to the stage and pushing my shoulders to urge me forward.

I took my place at the mic before noting Edward's location. I looked to Eric and Alice each before clearing my throat to speak. "So...I'd like to apologize upfront for the auditory torture you are about to endure. Blame Alice. Al, thank you for pushing me – and for letting me choose something a little different. Here goes nothing..." I gave the guy the thumbs-up to start my selection.

I thought of only Edward, I thought of all my wanting and wishing. I thought of all our sweet moments. For better or worse, I was going all in. I looked nowhere but his eyes as I settled in and let the truth out.

_Oh, it's been such a long, long time_

_Looks like I'd get you off of my mind_

_But I can't_

_Just the thought of you_

_Turns my whole world misty blue_

_Oh, honey, just the mention of your name_

_Turns the flicker to a flame_

_Listen to me good, baby_

_I think of the things we used to do_

_And my whole world turns misty blue_

_Oh, baby, I should forget you_

_Heaven knows I've tried_

_Baby, when I say that I'm glad we're through_

_Deep in my heart I know I've lied_

_I've lied_

_I've lied_

_Oh, honey, it's been such a long, long time_

_Looks like I'd get you off of my mind_

_But I can't_

_Just the thought of you, my love,_

_My whole world turns misty blue_

_Oh, oh I can't, oh I can't, oh I can't forget you_

_My whole world turns misty blue_

_Oh, oh, my love, my whole world turns misty blue_

_Baby, baby, baby, baby, baby I can't forget you_

_My whole world turns misty blue_

As the music faded away, I looked down, trying to ignore the whistles from Al and Jay and the cheers from Eric. I couldn't get off that stage quickly enough, but one last time, I looked toward Edward's seat.

It was empty.

I looked to Eric, who immediately noticed my confusion. He looked all around for Edward and then looked back to me shrugging as if to say, "I have no idea." I realized someone was waiting to take my place, so I hurried off the stage and sought solace in the ladies' room. I gasped and stumbled backward when I ran right into a wall of man. Before my eyes could catch up, two hands grasped my shoulders to steady me.

That tingle. I remember that tingle and that warmth. I remember that comfort and familiarity. _Edward_.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see you, I'm -" I stammered, avoiding his eyes.

"My fault," he said.

"No, I wasn't paying attention," I said. "I'm sorry."

"Same here. I wasn't paying attention, either," he said. Something in his voice, in his eyes gave me pause. _Were we talking about this or..._

"We...both screwed up. Neither of us was paying attention and we stumbled," I said.

After a few beats of silence where we stared, unmoving, at each other, we both knew we weren't talking about our mishap in this hallway.

"Yeah," he said, letting a deep breath loose. "Stupidest thing I ever did, Bella."

"Yeah?" I asked, lips turning up slightly.

"Yeah."

"Me, too," I offered.

"Yeah?" he asked, his own lips forming a small smile. _My_ smile. That smile that says, _"I adore you." _I remember that smile.

"Yeah. Um, listen…uh, would you...maybe...do you wanna catch up? Get out of here and talk? Maybe have a drink?" I stumbled through my words. I was nervous he would say no, but even more nervous not to at least try. "I may even have some red, red wine at home," I said, smiling wide. I was rewarded with his deep laugh.

"Yes I want to catch up. No I don't think I want anymore red, red wine – I'm done with that stuff. For good, I hope," he said, moving to push some hair over my shoulder, letting his fingers skim my neck.

I exhaled a stuttered breath, warm tingles washing over me from his too-brief touch.

"Okay then. Cab?" I asked.

"I hardly had anything to drink, and not for a while now. I can drive if you like," he said. "Did you drive, or-?" he asked, gesturing toward the tables. I'm sure he realized I was here with Eric.

"No, I'm good. My friend Eric drove. I"ll just tell him goodbye. And Jay and Al," I added as an afterthought.

"Okay." _Smile_.

"Okay." _Blush_.

**..:RRW & MB:..**

"I did not!" I yelled, smacking Edward's arm.

"You did! I swear it! You said some of the craziest shit when you were sleeping!" he said, belly-laughing and holding off my puny attempts at smacking him.

"Well...you drooled on your pillow! Like, a lot. _A lot_, a lot, so there!" I said, pointing and laughing. Edward burst into a fresh round of giggles and we reveled in the laughter, letting our eyes water and holding our sides until we caught our breath.

As we both came down from the high, our laughter died slowly until we were simply breathing hard, looking at each other, smiling softly.

Edward reached a hand to the side of my neck, moving his thumb over my jaw. His eyes moved from my eyes to my lips to his hand and back, repeating the circuit. He leaned in and then hesitated. He looked me in the eyes again; question, curiosity, longing and nervousness all showed in his face. He leaned in again, closing all but a hair's breadth of space between us. I realized I'd been holding my breath too long, and I let it out in a quiet huff. Edward looked into my eyes once more. We stared for infinity in one second before we both moved to close the gap.

_Bliss_. This was bliss. This was the mouth that mine fit best. This was the skin I knew most. This was my body's home-away-from-home.

The kiss was lingering and soft – slow. Until it wasn't. We both moved to open at the same time, and it was as though the flag had dropped to start a race. Suddenly we were both pushing and pulling – tongues and hair, lips and necks, shoulders and waists. I landed on my back without effort, Edward pinning me and cradling my head in both hands.

Only when breathing was an absolute necessity did we break apart, panting and dazed, staring at each in awe and recognition – resolution.

"I missed this. Missed you. So badly, all the time – and as much as I've missed you, this? This feels like the most natural thing in the world. Like we've never stopped doing just this. Dammit, Bella...am I crazy?" he asked, pained almost in his confusion and apprehension. "Tell me it's not just me."

"It's not. It's not just you, I swear. I know it was just a song, but every word of it was true. I tried to tell myself I was glad we were over, that we must not have been meant to be, but I've been lying to myself all this time," I said, dragging my fingers through his hair and kissing his chin. "I never stopped wanting you, even if I did my best to stop thinking of you."

"All the time we've wasted, and for what? Why didn't we stick it out?" he asked.

"Life. Grad school. Paths leading in different directions, I don-," I said, interrupted by your exasperation with our younger selves.

"But that was just stupid! We were stupid! We were happy, we didn't have problems! We could have made choices, we could have worked it out, we could have been together all this time..."

"_Hey_. Hey, stop it. I'm just as pissed at us as you are, I am. But – sweetheart, we can't change it. We went our separate ways. We lived life for a while. We just realized it sucked without each other, and here we are. By chance, by fate, by design, I don't fucking care. All I know is you're here, right now, and I don't want to let go of you. Not again." I stroked his cheek and pulled his mouth back to mine. After another heated kiss, he pulled away with a small sigh.

"You're not worried? About any of this?" he asked, so quietly.

"No. I want you. If you want me, too, the rest is just details," I smiled in reassurance. "The only worry I have right now is that I'm dreaming this, that it's not real."

"It's real."

"Yeah, it is."

"You're never getting rid of me this time, you know," he said, smirking.

"Thank goodness for that," I said. I wanted more kisses, so I took them.

**..:RRW & MB:..**

"Beautiful. So beautiful," Edward said, running a reverent hand over my breasts, my stomach, my thighs.

My red dress was on a living room chair.

Pieces of black clothing of Edward's paved the way to my bedroom.

His underwear – _boxer briefs, thank you very much_ – were discarded beside the bed, soon to be joined by my nude, stretch-lace underwear.

"Edward, take it all off. I swear I'll let you admire and stare and worship some other time, but not tonight. Not right now. I need you, I want you, please," I begged. "It's been so, so long since I've been with you, please."

He moaned in my mouth as he moved in for a deep kiss, all while unhooking my bra with one hand and pushing down my underwear with the other.

"Unh." His fingers on me, _there_.

"Oh. _Oh_, mmm." My hand on him, _there_.

"Ah, please, please, pleasepleaseplease," I whispered. Edward moved his hand from my sex and squeezed a breast, licking, sucking and scraping his teeth over the nipple.

"Ah, so good, Edward."

He worked over both nipples until I was panting and dying for him. I could feel him hard against my thigh and I was over waiting. I wasn't interested in foreplay or slow or relishing or savoring. I pushed his shoulders to force him to lie down and then grabbed a condom from the drawer. We looked at only each other's eyes as I rolled the condom on. I slowly stroked him while we stared, before whispering a shaky, "No turning back."

He reached for my hands, keeping his eyes locked with mine as he pulled me to straddle him. He placed my hands on his chest and placed his palms on top of them before repeating my words back. "No turning back."

It was all I needed, so I moved until we were joined again, mercifully and completely, after so much time and wishing, wanting.

Our eyes never strayed from each other's, and we shared all of our breaths. I had never felt such a crippling intensity of feeling with him before, so strong I was shaking and shivering.

"Oh, Edward," I whimpered, exhaling a shaky breath. "It's so much. Too much. I'm, I, I – "

"I feel it, too, Bella," he whispered, sounding just as shaky. We locked lips and moaned together as Edward worked to push us over the edge. We were locked in a tight embrace, lips parted and panting and not allowing one bit of space to come between us. I breathed in deeply and as I breathed out, I sobbed. Edward squeezed me tighter before asking if I was okay.

I could only nod through my tears. I smiled and cried and buried my face in his neck again.

"I thought I was okay," I said, sniffling and sobbing. "I knew I missed you and wanted you, but the way this feels – I don't know how I existed without you. H-how could I have not felt the loss of this?"

"I don't know," he said. "I guess it was just time. The _right_ time." I raised my head to kiss him again, and I saw a tear slide away from each of his eyes. He smiled.

"I love you, Isabella Marie," he said.

"I love you, Edward Anthony," I answered.

With giddy, stupid grins, we cleaned up and got back in my bed.

"So," he began, playing with my fingers.

"So," I copied, kissing his chest.

"So there's this wedding, and I was hoping you'd join me. What do you think?" he asked, burrowing his face in my hair around my neck.

"I kind of have to be there anyway, but I'd love to be your official date," I answered.

"Is that what they're calling 'brides' these days? 'Dates?'" he asked.

Time stopped, along with my heart, my breath. _Surely I couldn't get it all in one night? Surely I couldn't get back the love of my life, get his "I love you," and get a promise of forever, too?_

"Marry me, Bella," he whispered in my ear.

_Maybe I could…_

"Yes."

**A/N: Special thanks to Breath-of-twilight for hosting another amazing countdown! Thank you for letting me join in on the fun – I hope you enjoyed the tale! To anyone who read this in the countdown, I changed maybe five whole words in what is posted here. Absolutely no meaning or action has been changed or lost.**

**I post this now as it was already written prior to my eye issue...I'm in the throes of a pretty serious eye SNAFU that I'm hopeful will be corrected in surgery on 3/15. Just please, PLEASE know, from the bottom of my heart, that Love Soon's wrap will be forthcoming and I will move on to Battle. Not empty promises. I do not intend to be melodramatic - I hate the stuff, honestly, but it has been as much a mindfuck to deal with this as it has been a strain visually - this ain't my first time at this rodeo, sadly. Anyway - I really just wanted you to know there was an actual GOOD (but bad) reason for my relative silence on my stories! That said - any of you who continue to stick around are just precious and I love you like mad! ) Thank you all for adds, favorites, alerts, reviews...all that jazz. MWAH! xo~Holly (P.S:: I really don't want to be a sparkly vampire, but if any of you figure out a way to get me just the vampire vision benefit, I'll love you forever and make your favorites cookies for life!)**


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